Journey to Heart's Home
by Subaru
Summary: Mononoke Hime fanfic. Yakkul and Ashitaka journey to find a place to live. Along the way, Yakkul is granted a gift to make Ashitaka happy.
1. Winter's Ache (Prologue)

This is just a test, if you like it enough, I will write the rest of it.

Someone was crying. It was a soft sound, but it carried a deep soul wrenching pain. Yakkul blinked as he awoke. The fire had gone out sometime in the night and a light frost covered the ground. He looked for Ashitaka. 

The boy was curled up against him for warmth, his rain cloak covering them. He was tucked into a ball weeping into his arms.

_Don't cry_. Yakkul nuzzled Ashitaka's head, snuffling a little. _I'm here_.

"Yakkul…?" Ashitaka lifted his tear-streaked face and smiled. Yakkul looked back. "It's morning." Ashitaka sat up and shivered a little. "There's only a few more days until there will be snow." Ashitaka stood, stretching out cramped muscles.

Yakkul stood and waited patiently as Ashitaka packed up the camp and tied the bags on. Ashitaka reached into the food bag and held out a handful of the grains. Yakkul finished the grains and Ashitaka reached in for more. When Yakkul had had his fill, Ashitaka finished off the rest. "You'll have to live off grass until we come to another town." Ashitaka mounted and they were off.

As the morning progressed, it didn't get any warmer. The sun was hidden by a blanket of dark clouds and a chill wind blew across the valley, coming down from the white-capped mountains. Ashitaka took out his rain cloak and put it on. "Yakkul, we're going to have a storm today. Better find a good road soon." Ashitaka and Yakkul had lost the road the previous day and were now lost. But it didn't matter. Neither of them could go home. Ashitaka was dead to his tribe, and Yakkul didn't want to leave Ashitaka.

Ashitaka stared out at the bleak valley, letting his thoughts drift. _San…Eboshi. I wonder what you're doing now. I hope you've learned your lesson. San and the rest of them will perish along with the forest if you haven't. Don't you see that you're destroying the balance by doing what you're doing?_ Ashitaka wiped away the tears that spilled down his cheeks. Another blast of air hit them. Ashitaka raised his face veil.

"We're going to be hit by that storm soon." Ashitaka looked up. He expected the snow would fall in an hour at the most.

_I know. I'm going into the forest again_. Yakkul turned off the path he'd found and plunged into the forest. He traveled quickly, with Ashitaka hanging on until the snow began to fall.


	2. Town Life

_How long have we been traveling?_ Yakkul wondered as he and Ashitaka trudged down a dusty lane. Winter had passed, and now it was spring. Warm sunshine washed over the land and the blue sky was filled with birdcalls. All around the dirt road, wild grasses grew free and in such a brilliant green that it seemed hardly real. Yakkul paused to nibble on the grass. It was sweet.

"Come on, Yakkul. We have to keep going."

_Why?_ Yakkul asked, looking at Ashitaka. _When did your cheekbones stand out so much?_

"I hope there's a town soon. We have to get more food."

_Eat this grass. It's good._ Yakkul tugged on his reins and made exaggerated gestures of eating the grasses as Ashitaka watched.

"You're right, it is lunch time." Ashitaka smiled and led Yakkul off the road into a field of green.

_Close enough_. Yakkul waited as Ashitaka unloaded the packs from his back. Yakkul fell to eating the grasses again, watching Ashitaka out of the corner of his eye.

"I need to go hunt for something. We're out of food."

_We are? I'm sorry. I shouldn't eat so much. You need it more than I. I can eat the grasses_. Yakkul looked up to see Ashitaka holding out a handful of some grains to him. Ashitaka smiled happily above it. Yakkul turned his head and continued to eat the grass.

"It's your favorite." Ashitaka said coaxingly.

_I eat grass now. Can't you see that?_ Yakkul wandered off relishing the last taste of the grains he remembered, but resolving himself to eat the grass they came upon, grazing as he went. He could hear Ashitaka sigh and eat the rest of the grain.

That's better. Now take the halter off and then we can run around like we used to when we were young. Ashitaka followed slowly, lost in thought.

_You're thinking about San, aren't you? Or maybe home?_ Yakkul thought as he stopped to watch his human friend. Ashitaka drifted towards him and took off the halter. Yakkul shook his head happily and took off sprinting.

Yakkul stopped and sniffed the air. Danger! Ashitaka! Yakkul turned his head and jumped out of the way as an arrow whizzed by him.

"Hey! Watch out!" Ashitaka came running, up, haltering Yakkul swiftly.

"It's on my land, boy. And so are you. You're trespassing." An older man came out from behind a rock.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry. He's mine." Ashitaka started to lead Yakkul away.

"How much d'ya want him for? It's not every day we get proper amounts of meat around here." The man said, slinging his bow and reaching for his money pouch.

"He's not for sale." Ashitaka said flatly, having led Yakkul and the man to where he'd dropped the bags.

"You're not from around here, are ya?" 

"Just passing through." Ashitaka affirmed, placing a bag on Yakkul. The man nodded as if he'd known it from the beginning. "There's a town down the road seven or so miles down." The man watched Ashitaka tie the other bag he put on Yakkul to the other one and secure them both to Yakkul. "Well, I'd be careful with him. He's meat for some of - you ride him? He's your mount?" The man finished, eyes widening. Yakkul turned and bounded off.

__

Yes I am. I'm his friend too. 


End file.
